Beyond the Night
by Kybo
Summary: Harry Potter grew up happy and well-loved, raised by his doting parents James and Lily. He attends Hogwarts and carries on the Marauder tradition, trying not to focus too much on the war his father is fighting. Harry Potter, on the other hand, grew up a fighter, raised by hateful relatives and thrown to the front lines of his own war. What happens when the two are thrust together?
1. Prologue- Interruptions

The night air was crisp and cool. A light breeze swept through the grounds, dancing through leaves and grass. Clouds skittered across the sky, leaving a shifting mosaic of shadows to drift across the chilly Scottish countryside.

A large castle stood amidst the shadows, bright light streaming from the windows to illuminate the nearby grounds. As chilly and quiet as the night was outside, the castle was warm, homey, and full of noise on the inside.

The Halloween feast had begun, and students and teachers alike were digging in to the delicious meal prepared by the Hogwarts house elves. Glowing jack-O-lanterns floated above the tables, and enchanted bats swept to and fro across the hall, racing and swirling for the entertainment of the students seated below.

The night was beautiful. Perfect. So of course, the peace didn't last for too much longer.

Professor Markus Darsy was sopping up the last of the exquisite white wine sauce with the last bite of tender pork loin, and wondering how on Earth he was going to fit any dessert when Professor Potter leaned over towards him, a smirk on her face. He knew that look well, and raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Lily's eyes flickered towards the Gryffindor table, and he glanced over in time to see several small black..._things_...scurry away from the table and make their way around the Great Hall towards the other house tables, unnoticed by the other students, who were too involved in the feast and their friends to notice anything amiss. His eyes sought out the Weasley twins, sitting between their brother Ron and their adopted brother Harry, who happened to be Lily's son. The group looked far too innocent for their own good. He caught Miss Granger's exasperated eye-roll, and turned back to his colleague.

"Earmuffs, do you think?"

She grinned. "May be safer, but if there's going to be another song like last time, I want to hear it."

Markus smirked back, and put the last bite of dinner in his mouth. He savored the delicate smoked flavour and waited for the fun to begin. He didn't have to wait long.

Plumes of multicoloured smoke billowed out from beneath the four house tables. Several students screamed in surprise. Markus' eyes rose; he was impressed. It looked like there were lights dancing and exploding within the smoke itself, and shadows dancing across the surface, like people and creatures dancing through the lights. He was reminded of looking into a muggle discotek and watching people dancing in the strobing lights as a fog machine warped everything into a colorful haze. Not that he spent too much time in muggle dance clubs, but still...it was impressive work.

Then the smells hit. Mostly it wasn't too bad; cinnamon from the Gryffindor table, a citrusy-flowered scent from Hufflepuff, ink and old parchment from Ravenclaw. The smell from Slytherin, though, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. Something rotten this way comes. He cast a quick air-freshening charm to clear the scents away from his immediate vicinity and watched as several Slytherins evacuated their table, while others cast bubblehead charms.

Suddenly, the smoke all condensed over the 4 tables, creating for undulating masses of coloured smoke, before it all seemed to explode at once. Bats, spooks, mice, and snakes burst out of the clouds, causing a new string of screaming from the students. But even as students were scrambling away from the tables, the various creatures puffed out of existence, leaving small sweets behind.

Markus bit his lip to keep from laughing. He glanced at Lily, and saw her eyes dancing as she too worked to restrain herself and remain professional in the face of the prank. That was definitely an impressive display, though. Markus decided he'd talk to the troublemakers later on and figure out how they put it all together. Many students started clapping and cheering at the display, while the Slytherins sat and glared stonily towards the Gryffindors, bits of pumpkin all that had sprayed out from their animals.

Shaking his head, Markus reached out to snag a candied apple despite his protesting stomach. The noise in the Great Hall diminished again, and he looked up, noticing that the students were all gazing towards the back of the hall. It appeared that one small cloud of smoke in the back hadn't dissipated yet.

In fact, it seemed to be growing, getting darker. It looked more like a writhing mass of storm clouds with lightning flashing inside. It seemed to be creating a wind that steadily grew in strength until it was whipping around the hall, blowing napkins and floating pumpkins every which way.

Markus glanced at the pranksters sitting along Gryffindor table, and frowned when he noticed they looked as confused as everyone else. Either their acting had improved drastically, or this was an unexpected addition to the festivities. He slid his wand out of its holster, keeping it hidden beneath the table. He noticed a few other professors doing the same.

Suddenly there was a bone-jarring crack of thunder and a flash of light. More screams rang out, and Markus blinked hard, ignoring the ringing in his ears as he tried to clear the spots that were now dancing in front of his eyes.

The smoke was gone, along with its strange little lightning storm. In its place was a young man who had dropped to the floor in a heap. It was hard to tell the exact age. He was dressed in filthy, torn battle robes, and he looked a right mess. His hair was plastered to his head, and his face was grimy, blood running down from a gash in his forehead and from his nose. He looked like he'd just come from some kind of intense battle, and instantly Markus and several other professors were on their feet.

Filius produced a shield lining the tables, keeping the students inside and in their seats. Lily worked with him to strengthen the shields from possible attack.

Markus, Severus, and Albus strode towards the figure cautiously, waiting to see what he would do. The other professors moved around the edges of the hall, surrounding him from a distance.

The man pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, coughing and swearing. Everyone stopped, waiting to see what the man would do.

"Bloody, fucking, Halloween." The figure gasped, pushing himself wearily to his feet. "Fucking dragons, why the fuck were there dragons?" He paused and twisted his arm back and sent a muttered healing spell at his back. Markus blinked; he hadn't even seen the wand till the spell was cast. There was an audible crack and the man stumbled with a curse, before straightening a bit more and taking a breath. "Area's been cleared my arse. I'm gonna kill Bill and Rowles. Merlin, I hate this day." He coughed again, and pushed himself gingerly to his feet. He swayed a moment, then shook his head as if to clear it. The man still hadn't looked up. With a gasp of pain, he pressed his left hand to his side. His robes were so thoroughly mucked up that Markus couldn't tell one stain from the next, but from the man's reaction, at least some of the dark splotches were blood. The stranger coughed again, and spat a wad of bloody phlegm onto the floor, vanishing it almost as soon as it struck.

It was obviously a reflexive move, and Markus found himself more and more curious just where this man had come from. He wasn't wearing Auror robes, and Markus knew most of them anyway.

"Excuse me, sir. I believe an introduction is in order." Of course Albus would react to this sudden appearance by sounding all grandfatherly. Markus knew that it was just an act, though. Albus Dumbledore was as ready for action as any of the professors.

At the first word, the man had stiffened. Now he slowly raised his head and looked ahead at the professors. His sidelong glance on the way told Markus that he'd noticed the other professors standing ready at the edges of the hall as well. When the stranger's eyes fell on Albus, though, Markus noticed a myriad of emotions play across the man's-no, the _teenager's_-face. Everything from shock and disbelief to sadness and anger, resignation-then nothing. His face settled into a cool mask, betraying nothing. He raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. Markus tightened his hold on his wand.

"Fucking Halloween." The young man said quietly. Though the words were soft, they carried throughout the silent hall. "How far into the rabbit hole did I fall this time?" He took a step forward, tilting his head as he peered around the room. His eyes settled back on Albus Dumbledore, and the curiosity in his eyes was evident.

"Have I been captured again? Is that it? Is all this…" He waved his free hand, encompassing the rest of the room, "...just some kind of hallucination? Haven't we been through this before?"

Albus frowned. "This is no hallucination. And before you take another step forward, I think you should assess your position here. You have appeared in my school, and there are twelve trained wands on your position. I will not allow any harm to come to my students. Now, what is your name?"

The stranger paused, and his smirk widened. "Twelve, that's it?" He coughed quietly, his eyes never leaving Albus'. Markus had to give the kid guts. Not many could stare down Albus Dumbledore. It was clearly apparent that though young, this kid was a shark. markus was sure he could hold his own if push came to shove. He desperately hoped it didn't come to that. Yet he also noticed that for all the kid's bravado, he was fading fast. it showed in the tired slump of the shoulders, the barely concealed tremor in his hands, the quick, shallow breaths. Whatever was going to happen, it would need to happen quickly.

"Okay, I'll play. My name's Harry."

Albus waited a moment. Harry watched him.

"Just Harry?"

"For now."

"And what are you doing in this school?"

Harry shrugged. "That...is a very good question. Just my luck, really."

"And what do you mean by that?" Severus snarled, stepping forward. "You trespass into this school, a potential threat, and give us vague non-answers and riddles. Spit it out then-what is your purpose here?"

Harry chuckled, choughed, grimaced. "Well, I meant that this would be just my luck. Whether or not this is real. As for how I got here...I haven't the faintest. I take it none of you recognize me?"

"Should we?" Albus asked.

"Well, it's all a matter of perspective, really. I suppose if this is real, or whatever, I should ask when I am." Harry's head tilted as he asked the question, his eyes once again doing a quick sweep of the students and professors inhabiting the Great Hall.

"I take from your earlier diatribe you already know it is Halloween. The year is 1996."

Markus watched Harry's eyes carefully, but there was no reaction. Just silent contemplation.

"Seems about right…" The words were hardly over a mumble, and everyone had to strain to hear them. "Parallels then? Hmm...Mione'd be over the bloody moon." His eyes focused again, and he straightened. The professors shifted, ready to defend or attack.

"You say this is real?" The boy asked.

"Yes." Albus responded, his bushy brows furrowed. He seemed to be thinking deeply, though still focused intently on the mystery in front of him.

"Right. Okay, how's this? I do hereby swear that I mean no one in this castle any harm. I have wound up here quite on accident. Though if anyone attacks me or poses a threat, I will respond as I see fit." His wand flared a bit, then dulled again.

Albus raised an eyebrow. "As you see fit?"

The stranger shrugged. The movement looked painful to Markus. He noticed how pale the boy was becoming; the fact he could tell even through the blood and grime was a testament to how close he was to collapsing.

"If a student attacks me, I will probably knock them out and drop them off with a professor. If a professor attacks me, then I will respond however the situation warrants. I didn't come here to attack or harm anyone. Actually, I was rather busy before I was pulled here, so I'd much rather have finished up the business I was dealing with. I'm just as confused as you are. Probably more so."

"And how do you figure that?" Markus asked, speaking up for the first time.

Harry turned to him, and Markus was struck by how intense the gaze was. "For starters, I can see at least a dozen people in here who I've watched die."

Markus felt a chill. What was this boy talking about? Before he could process the simple statement, Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "I just want to know I won't be attacked or harassed. Some healing potions would be nice, too. Ooh, and a shower."

Albus relaxed slightly. "Very well. So long as you pose no threat to anyone in this castle, I will ensure you come to no harm. But be warned, I will protect those under my care, at any cost."

Harry's face brightened, and he smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Now," he clapped his hands together, and Markus blinked. Where'd his bloody wand go? "I reckon I've got a few minutes before I pass out. D'you mind if I start heading up to see Poppy?"

Albus looked nonplussed at the sudden change in tone. He blinked, then stepped forward, still holding his wand loosely. "Of course." He waved towards the door. "I shall follow you." He turned to look at the rest of the professors. "The students will finish their feast, and return promptly to their dorms. Tonight there will be zero tolerance for any late-night escapades." His eyes flicked briefly towards the Gryffindor table. Albus then turned to address Markus and Severus. "If you two would accompany us. Professor McGonagall, if you could alert Poppy that she will have a visitor soon."

Minerva nodded, and swept out of the room.

Harry turned and stumbled towards the door. "Oh goody, an entourage." Markus could hear a worrying crackling in the boy's breathing, and knew there was at least some fluid in his lungs.

He glanced sideways at Severus, whose face betrayed nothing of course, and turned back to the headmaster and their new visitor. He followed them out of the Great Hall, hearing the voices of the students explode behind them as the door swung shut.

His head was spinning, taking in everything that had just happened?

Who the hell was this boy, and where did he come from? He shook his head. Well, one thing was for certain. The Gryffindor pranksters had never before been so effortlessly one-upped.


	2. Of Dragons and Dirt

"Watch it!" Ron gasped as a hand grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him roughly to the floor, just in time for the sickly yellow light shot from across the room to pass where he had just been.

Shooting a widespread blasting curse towards the general area the spell had come from, Ron followed Harry through the debris lining the destroyed chamber.

"Thanks, mate."

Harry nodded, staring ahead through the smoke, trying to figure out a safer path through the madness. It was supposed to be simple. The plan was to go in, get the artifact, get out. They'd spent weeks gathering the necessary information, planning every move meticulously. They'd even been able to neutralize a majority of the wards before the operation had even started. It should have been easy.

Harry snorted. That was it, right there. Easy? That'd been asking for something drastic to go wrong.

And oh, how it had gone wrong.

They were here to retrieve an unknown artifact of unknown power that Voldemort was supposedly quite interested in, and which Harry had caught glimpses of during the Dark Lord's brooding. The plan was to get to it before he did, then study it to discover just why it was so important to the maniac.

Problem was, it was being housed in a cave system beneath a ministry office building that had been run predominantly by goblins, and they weren't too friendly in the best of times. Now with the shit having long since hit the fan, they were rather put off with wizards in general, no matter what 'side' they claimed to be on. The building itself wasn't too terribly important. Archives and paperwork overflow from international bank vaults. Something along those lines. The fact that it was run by goblins made the situation a bit more interesting, but Fred, George, Dennis Creevey, and Lee Jordan had staged a bit of a diversion that Harry wasn't too fond to know the full details of, so the building was mostly evacuated by the time the strike teams arrived. Anyone left inside was to be stunned and have their memories modified so they would only remember a death eater attack on the office.

The group was to separate on arrival: Harry, Ron, and Tonks would head in through a back passage the twins had discovered; Bill and Rowles were using their collective expertise to make their way down to the caves themselves from a distant point outside the building; Moody and Kingsley were making their way through the front.

Bill and Rowles had been gradually eating a hole through the outer defensive goblin wards for the past few weeks, and had contacted Harry and Ron as soon as there was a gap large enough for a small group to slip through. There hadn't been any other protections on the building itself once they made it through the outer layers; below the building was another matter entirely. The heavier wards didn't even start until the second level basements.

Of course, when Bill and Rowles had been running recon, there hadn't been fucking _dragons_ guarding the entrance.

Three of them, in an expanded chamber. A Horntail and two Greylings. Unfortunately, when you have three dragons guarding an entrance (especially when those three dragons are not of a very even temperament), this inevitably leads to damage. A lot of structural damage. The two floors above the chamber had already collapsed, and Ron and Harry had only survived by squeezing into a niche that had been gouged into the wall earlier. They hadn't seen Tonks since the collapse; they'd been separated by one of the Greylings.

Harry, in a fit of inspiration, had attempted speaking parsletongue to the dragons. They were similar enough to snakes, right? Right. That little stunt had sent Harry and Ron's two new companions, one of the Greys and the Horntail, into even more of a spitting rage. Apparently they didn't appreciated being compared to lowly serpents. They were much more evolved, or some such rubbish. It was a bit hard to catch the few sounds he could understand while dodging flames and desks and spiked tails.

As if the dragons weren't enough, apparently the collapse of two floors of Ministry building had alerted a few people to the attempted infiltration. Aurors would have been nice, but they were having trouble getting through the wards of the people who had gotten there first. The same cowards who were hiding in the shadows out of reach and attempting to snipe the intruders.

As the minutes ticked by and Harry and Ron fought for their lives, one horrible truth was becoming more and more apparent; this whole snafu had been a set-up. There was a traitor among the Order.

"Only you, Har." Ron muttered behind him, tapping his knuckle on Harry's shoulder to let him know he was keeping an eye out back.

Harry led him through the maze, using the dust and smoke to their advantage, and keeping as far away as possible from the heavy thumping and scrabbling of their two new friends.

"T and Three?" Harry whispered, asking if Ron knew where Tonks' and her Greyling had got to.

Ron rubbed his finger horizontally across the back of Harry's shoulder, then tapped once. He didn't know, and One was looking their way. The Horntail.

Harry stopped moving, and dropped lower, Ron mirroring his moves. Ron could see his eyes flicking around the room, looking for any means of escape. They were still below ground, so they couldn't escape the way they'd come in. Besides, that way was probably heavily guarded by now.

Harry tapped Ron on the knee, gaining his attention, then gestured to a gap between two demolished pieces of wood which may once have been desks, but now passed as nothing more than so much firewood. The floor had cracked and split between them, and it looked like there was a way to get lower if they could crawl through. At this point, the cave system below the building would be their only chance at escape.

Ron pointed to the floor, and Harry nodded. He held up three fingers.

The Horntail crawled along the floor, nosing through the debris. Behind it, they could see their Greyling exploring the far wall.

Harry put down one finger.

There was a crash on the far end of the room, as part of the third floor began to collapse. It caught the Horntail's attention, and the dragon spun around and made its way over towards the noise.

Above the two friends, the ceiling began to groan ominously.

With a quick glance at each other, Ron and Harry scurried to the hole between the desks as quickly as they dared, doing their best to keep silent.

Harry pushed Ron ahead, and, knowing that Harry was much better at the defense and survival bit than he was, Ron let him take guard. Slipping his wand back into his holster so he would have both hands free, he slid feet-first into the hole and dropped, bending his knees to reduce the sound of his impact.

Sure enough, as he squeezed down the hole, he could see an almost maze-like corridor leading underneath the rubble, towards the wall away from the dragons.

He knocked three times in rapid succession on the piece of floor he was currently leaning on, and a few seconds later, Harry dropped down to join him. Together, they squeezed their way through and headed towards the wall. They could hear sections of the wall collapsing above them, and the crunching of the shifting rubble beneath the dragons. Once against the wall, they found another gap they could squeeze through.

Moving as quickly as possible, and trying not to cough too loud as the dust coated their mouths and throats, the two gradually made their way downward. The shifting became louder, and they knew that if they couldn't find a way into the caves, they'd be crushed beneath tons of debris.

There was a sudden crash, and the wall nearest Harry cracked and tipped, shifting the dimensions of their already small crawlspace. For a breathless moment, Ron thought Harry had been trapped, but then his friend managed to squeeze through the narrow opening.

Ron followed, noting a protruding pipe that looked as if it had been rent by an angry giant. A bit of blood lined the sharp edge, and he knew that Harry had not made it through the shift completely unharmed. Didn't look like too much, though. He'd be fine.

He squeezed through himself, minding the sharp edges, and found himself up against a wall. He couldn't tell if it was actually a wall in the room, or another floor gone kaddywonkers, but either way, they wouldn't be able to move any farther in this direction.

Harry turned to Ron and shrugged. He pointed to his left. There was a thin gap torn through the wall/floor, hardly wide enough to fit a child. Harry might be able to fit as he was still pretty small, but Ron was much taller, and wide enough that he didn't think he'd be able to make the squeeze.

He shrugged back, knowing Harry would have already taken this all into consideration. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it towards Ron, who quirked an eyebrow. Harry opened his free hand wide, then closed it into a fist. Harry wanted to shrink him.

Ron scowled at Harry, who smirked, before nodding resignedly.

The next second, his view on the world shifted as he was shrunk down to the size of one of those green army men, which, on feeling something in his hand and noticing a tinge of green to the now gargantuan world around him, he realized that was probably exactly what Harry had turned him into.

Harry quickly picked up his now plastic green friend and placed him in the outer pocket of his robes, which was under a cushioning and protection charm, as it also contained several vials of potions.

Keeping in mind the creaking, groaning, shifting floor around him as well the idiocy of digging himself even deeper into a world that could collapse further and crush him at any second, he sucked in his stomach and carefully pulled himself through the gap. He was still too small for his liking, but for once in his life, he felt almost thankful for his treatment at the hands of the Dursleys. If he'd actually had a healthy childhood, he would have been much too large to fit.

Even so, it was a tight squeeze, and he could feel the sides mercilessly scraping along his chest and back as he forced his way sideways through the gap. Hermione would give him Hell later. Harry stifled a snort at the thought. Well, at least he was keeping Ron safe. Safe as possible, at least. So she couldn't complain too loudly.

A gnawing voice in the back his head began to rise up—_Ron is safe, yes. What about Tonks? What about everyone else who was a part of this God-forsaken mission_? He ruthlessly squelched the voice; there'd be time to worry and mourn later. For all he knew, everyone else had either gotten away or made their way into the caves already. Bill and the twins weren't even in the building, surely they'd called for backup at the first sign of things going to Hell.

Glancing around again, he picked his way carefully. There was no safe place to put Ron back to rights, so he'd have to wait a bit.

Harry froze as the dust in front of him swirled around the debris just ahead, but then he felt it. A brush of cool, fresh air caressed his face, chilling the skin beneath the layer of muddy sweat.

Pushing his way through to the point of air, he saw, finally, the stone wall to the original chamber, and a dark patch where a bit of floor had crumbled a bit of it. Just enough for a small hole to go through the wall, but maybe he could open it up a tad more.

Pressing is eye to the gap, he could just barely see a bluish glow. He couldn't see where the glow was coming from, but it seemed to shift and waver lazily, like the light from a flame, or light reflected off a disturbed pool of water. The drop seemed to be about ten feet. A bit uncomfortable, but not too horrible.

He backed up as far as he could and leveled his wand at the gap.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the stone and muttered a blasting curse, followed immediately by a levitation charm. The stone which had blown inwards at the impact froze in midair as Harry caught it. He gently lowered it to the floor inside.

The wall he had been leaning on shifted heavily, slamming into Harry's back and knocking him down onto his stomach. He quickly crawled forward, pulling his legs away from the wall and tugging the sides of the gap he had just created, pulling out more debris and making the gap wider.

Behind him, the wall kept tilting, more and more, and through the loud crunching, tearing, and shrieking of the maze around him, Harry guessed that one of the dragons was coming this way.

Once he deemed the hole was big enough to fit through, he jumped and grabbed an overhanging pipe, then shoved his feet through the hole and levered himself through.

Blowing out all his breath and sucking his stomach in, Harry managed the gap, and dropped so he was hanging by his tenuous grip on the edge. Looking around only long enough to gauge his landing, Harry let go and allowed himself to drop to the floor, his knees bending to absorb the impact. Immediately he pulled Ron out and cancelled the transfiguration.

The green muggle army man grew into his friend, who was lying dazedly on the floor. Ron blinked a few times, shaking out the cobwebs, and looked around.

They were in a rather open passage, with rough stone walls that suggested the cave was not natural, but had been carved into the rock. Or at least, that this area was not natural. To the right, beyond the hole they'd entered through, was a rather large puddle, with some kind of glowing blue moss glowing at the bottom.

Ron shifted his attention back to Harry, who was still standing next to the hole he'd created. He was using debris from inside and out to shore it up as best he could. Ron quickly stood up to help him.

"Do you know where the light's coming from?" Harry muttered in a low voice, which nevertheless echoed quietly through the chamber.

"Moss in a large puddle to your right."

"Good. I wasn't sure if it was a ward or not."

They finished patching up the hole and stepped back. The thundering noises from the chamber they had just escaped were echoing all around them, though it seemed muffled now.

"What now?" Ron asked, turning and looking left and right. Both directions continued on before disappearing into darkness.

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"My sense of direction is all messed up now. I don't have a clue where we came in, in relation to the outer chamber. How the Hell did they get the dragons in, do you think?"

Ron shrugged. By some unspoken consent, they turned away from the glowing puddle and headed down the left passage, Ron lighting his wand while Harry kept his ready.

"I don't know." He said. "There was no sign of any defenses outside of the wards. I think we have a spy in the Order."

Harry nodded grimly. "Makes me wonder what other changes may have been made. We're blind enough already down here."

"Did you see which way Tonks went when the dragons charged?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's probably a good thing there were three; it slowed them down. They couldn't maneuver as well, but still…She was on my left," He paused, thinking back. "She was on my left, which was closer to the door. When that Grey charged, she went that way. I don't know if she made it. I didn't see her after that."

"Shit."

They continued in silence, keeping a wary eye out.

The tunnel seemed to go on for ages, twisting and turning downwards. Several times a chamber yawned open on one side of the passage, and on inspection, the two had seen that each new chamber sprouted out into many new passages. They didn't waver, but kept on walking down the original passage.

Ron's reasoning was that Voldemort basked in other people's insecurities. If he had carved these mines out, he would have offered many options, many alternative paths to follow. He would make any intruder question their original choice. By sticking to the original path, they were keeping up their own confidence. Harry figured that was rubbish as the caves had most likely been made by the goblins and Voldemort had been searching for this as much as they had, but he kept quiet and let Ron lead. It wasn't as if he had a better idea.

Though they spoke occasionally, neither of them mentioned the disaster they'd left behind, or what might be happening to the rest of the team. They had a job to do, and they were going to do it.

"So," Ron breathed, after they had walked for about half an hour. "How much farther d'you reckon?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea. We should be getting close, though."

A shuffling sound echoed back to them from somewhere up ahead, and they froze, immediately moving to opposite sides of the tunnel and blending with the shadows. Ron noxed the light, and they were plunged into darkness.

Harry pulled Ron to the side of the passage, staring ahead in the direction he thought the shuffling sound was coming from. He could hear a loud sniffing, and knew that whatever was making the noise had quite a large nasal cavity. Considering they'd managed to misplace a dragon, Harry had a good guess what it was.

But how had it gotten in front of them? Did that mean Tonks had found another way down?

Harry held his place against the wall, listening. The snuffling was getting louder, and he could now hear the shuffling of large feet under a heavy load.

"I don't think it's in front of us, Har." Ron breathed into his ear.

Harry turned to look at Ron, and noticed movement in the corner of his eye; namely a large head that was slowly turning around the corner they'd just come down.

Well, shit.

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him out of their little alcove and began running down the passage, praying there weren't any gaping shafts that would open up ahead of them. He didn't dare light his wand in the darkness.

Ron maintained a strong grip on Harry's shoulder, and they moved as fast as they dared.

Harry had his left arm held out in front of him, which was a good thing, as when the passage made a sudden turn, his was able to skid to a stop as he hit the wall, rather than running face-first into it.

Ron bounced off him, and they both stumbled.

Behind them, the snuffling was still audible, but slightly more quiet. Harry took a breath, and lit his wand with as low a glow as he could manage.

The passage they had been sticking to had ended in a cross-roads. They could either go left or right.

"Which way?" Harry whispered.

"Point me?" Ron suggested.

"There are too many chambers, and a place like this is bound to have multiple artifacts hidden, as well as wards that would block a search. If we had a name for the damn thing, rather than just a hazy image, that would—"

The passage exploded in a deafening roar.

"Left!" Ron grabbed Harry and pulled them to the side passage and proceeded to drag him down the hallway.

Behind them, the shuffling turned into bone-jarring footsteps as the Greyling caught their scent and charged forward.

"Faster, faster!" Harry panted as he led Ron down the long passage they'd turned down. This was more humid than the passage they'd left, and Ron could see moisture lining the packed dirt walls.

Behind them, the Greyling roared again, and Ron and Harry cringed as the noise tore at their eardrums.

Ron aimed his wand over his shoulder and shot a widespread blasting curse. The entire passage rumbled as the magic dug into the walls on either side before slamming into the nose of the angry dragon. The Grey snorted and stumbled for half a step, before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

Harry winced as loose stone rained down on him, and he pulled Ron to the side to avoid a boulder that was hanging precariously above their heads.

"Let's try not to bring the cave down on our heads, right?"

Ron turned back and focused on running. "He started it."

The two ran for what seemed like ages, the Grey hot on their heels. The passage was narrow for the dragon, which hindered its movements just enough to give Harry and Ron a chance to keep ahead.

They turned off their passage into a chamber, then ducked into a different passage with cracked stone walls. So much for Ron's plan to stay on the main route, but Harry rather thought the dragon was the more pressing issue at the moment.

As he ran, the lack of any magical protection gnawed away at his nerves. It was like walking through the maze his fourth year; they should have come across _something_ by now, right? What did it mean for them that they hadn't?

_Don't borrow trouble, Potter. Just do what you need to do. Figure out the rest as it comes._

After what seemed like ages, Harry became aware of a dim greenish glow up ahead. He scouted the floor ahead of him to check for changes in the footing, then noxed his light. There was definitely something up ahead.

"You see that?" He asked Ron, reigniting his wand.

"Yeah. Let's head that way. Whatever it is, at least we'll be able to see. What about this guy?" He gestured his head back towards their pursuer. He swallowed, struggling to keep up the pace of their sprint.

Harry jumped a small gap in the floor and shrugged. "Do you think two stunners would do it?"

Ron glanced at Harry from the corner of his eye. "We didn't think of this before why?"

Harry grinned. "Too busy fearing for our lives?"

"Cheers. When?"

Harry glanced back over his shoulder, holding his wand up for light and praying he didn't trip and fall on his face. The ceiling above them was still hard packed-earth, which meant a dragon taking a nosedive would likely bring it all down. Looking forward again, he could see their current tunnel ended in a narrow passage, from which the pale light shone.

"Once we get through!" He answered. "You go left, I'll go right. Turn and fire on three!"

There was a rumbling behind them; the unmistakable sound of massive lungs rapidly filling with air.

"Shields!" Harry shouted. Unnecessary, of course. Harry and Ron seemed to be able to work with one mind at this point; in times of crisis they could give the twins a run for their money.

The hallway suddenly burned orange and blue around them, and Harry and Ron put on an extra burst of speed. Even with the bluish shields keeping them from becoming crispy critters, Harry could still feel the small hairs on the back of his neck curling with the heat. Finally they burst through the opening at the end of the hall and Harry ducked against the right side wall, pulling his knees up tight against his chest and making himself as small as possible. His shield contracted and thickened slightly, holding off the boiling plasma which flowed around him.

After what seemed to be ages, the flames stopped. Blinking in the sudden darkness, Harry took a deep breath, counted to three, and stood. His shield dissipated as he spun to face the Grey.

"Three!"

"**Stupefy!**" Ron shouted in unison, also on his feet. Two twin jets of dark red light shot out of their wands, connecting with the dragon directly over its breastbone.

The dragon blinked, smoke rising in thin curlicues from its wide nostrils, snorted, and fell gracefully forward onto its snout.

_Thwump!_

Harry and Ron quickly cast bubblehead charms as the now dried dirt floor cast up a great plume of dust on impact. After a moment's ringing silence in which Ron and Harry listened for any sound to accompany a collapse, Ron giggled.

"That was great."

Harry's lips twitched as the dust cleared, and he could see the dragon from the pale light emanating from behind them. Its front paws were curled under the massive body, its chin stretched out on the floor. It almost looked to be grinning.

"It looks kinda cute, don't it?" Harry asked. "Like a puppy or something."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You and Hagrid, mate. I swear."

"Hey, dragons are cool!"

"In case you missed it, that cute wittle dwagon was trying to kill us."

"Yeah, well. It's still cool. I just want to know why the fuck we had to do this on Halloween."

Ron rolled his eyes, well acquainted with Harry's paranoia when it came to holidays and certain dates, hell, there were even days of the week that had Harry checking over his shoulder every five seconds, waiting for something to go wrong.

"The wards were open, and you know Voldemort's as superstitious as you when it comes to this day."

"Still. A raid on Halloween? That's asking for a building to collapse on your head while dragons dance on the rubble."

Ron sighed as they turned to search for the source of the light, and the dragon let out a thunderous snore. Instantly a deep rumbling filled the passage, and dust drifted down from the ceiling. Ron and Harry froze, turning slowly to look back. Small cracks began to form in the ceiling, and pebbles began raining down as the cracks grew.

"Fucking dragon!" Harry swore. "I'm going to kill it!"

Ron grabbed his friend's shirt and pulled him away from the beast. "Later, Harry. It's time to get out of here!"

They ran down the hallway towards the slowly brightening light, the rumbling growing around them until they could feel their very bones vibrating. The bubblehead charms protected their eyes and airways, but visibility was rapidly diminishing in the thickening dust. The light seemed to shimmer all around them in a haze. Soon they couldn't even see their feet on the ground, and were running blindly with their hands held out in front of them.

Ron swore as he tripped and fell, knocking into Harry. Harry stumbled and fell forward unable to keep his balance.

"Shit!" He threw his arms forward to catch himself, but they never touched ground. He continued to fall, tumbling head over heels in the bright haze.

"Arresto mom—_huungh!_" The breath was knocked out of him in a whoosh as he landed on his stomach on what felt like a jagged chunk of rock. His wand bounced out of his fingers, and black spots threatened to overwhelm his vision. His face felt wet, and he knew his nose was bleeding. Maybe broken.

Gasping to regain his breath, he groaned and rolled over, feeling at least one broken rib shifting in protest. He reached out, patting the cool earth beneath his outstretched fingers until he felt the warm polished wood of his wand.

"Ron," he gasped out as loud as he could, "hole."

"Harry?" Ron's voice echoed down to him. "Harry? Are you alright?"

Harry took a breath to call back, and groaned again. He hated breaking ribs. Always felt like he'd tangoed with the Whomping Willow.

"I'm coming down."

Quickly Harry rolled away from the point of impact, grabbing the rock he'd landed on at the same time. As soon as his fingers touched the object, he felt not the rough stone he'd been expecting, but cold smooth metal. As soon as it touched his skin, a bright flash of orange light exploded from the contact, along with a deafening bang. Not stopping to think about it, he continued moving out of the way. He almost thought it was dragon fire again, except there was a purple tinge that lingered on the edge of his vision after the original flare had disappeared. Already he could feel the ground beneath him shivering and rolling.

Through his watering eyes he could see thick orange smoke billowing out from his hands and the whatch-a-ma-doozie he'd found. Lighting flashed suddenly, and he heard Ron swear as he hit the ground. Harry tried to suck in a breath to warn his friend, but couldn't manage. Instead he sent a modified banisher towards the silhouette of his friend, pushing Ron back and away from the smoke. He wasn't sure it would work though; he couldn't tell how big this area was or how far the smoke was spreading.

Lightning flashed again, and Harry felt his hair standing on end. All at once, the smoke seemed to solidify, rapidly changing from orange to black until Harry couldn't see anything but the small arcing flashes of lightning dancing through the air and across his skin. His muscles tensed and spasmed, and he couldn't have let go of the doohicky if he wanted to. Which he really did.

There was a blinding flash of light, and he felt himself dumped on a stone floor. There was light, and fresh air, so he figured he'd left the caves far behind. He hoped Ron would be able to get out alright, but he knew his friend was just as capable as he was when it came to sticky situations. Even if he didn't quite have Harry's brand of 'luck'.

"Ow." He gasped, reaching under his chest to cast a quick numbing and stabilizing charm on his broken ribs. Swearing, he pushed himself to his hands and knees, and once his vision cleared, to his feet. He looked around the area he'd landed, but the metal orange-lightning-storm-spewing thingamabob was no-where to be seen. He'd really need to have a word with Bill and Rowles when he saw them next. No dragons? Plan a raid on Halloween, the most cursed day of the year? Bloody geniuses, they were.

"Excuse me sir. I believe an introduction is in order." Harry froze, cursing this day, Voldemort, whatever that metal thing was. He glanced up, almost dreading what he'd see.

Sure enough, Albus freaking Dumbledore was standing at the head of the Great Hall, wand at the ready, surrounded by teachers and students. It appeared he'd interrupted the Halloween Feast.

Fucking fantastic.


End file.
